Wishing for a Nuclear Winter
by Happii Haden
Summary: As Deidara and Kisame conversed, Sasori couldn't find himself to speak up. He had forgotten about Christmas entirely and figured Deidara did too. How wrong he was. The brat went behind his back, even got Kisame in on it, and still made it happen. The redhead wasn't sure if he should applaud him or punish him for the act. -No real pairings. Fallout Universe. Kinda hinted SasoDei-


_Shameless self promoting for new story. Yes. This side story isn't necessary to read for the main story, but was a lot of fun and drops a few early hints about things. So, it can stand alone even if you don't read the main story. It was fun to write, and that's what matters to me. Hope everyone had happy holidays. Enjoy this long holiday fic. :d_

* * *

" _People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy."_

 **Anton Chekhov**

* * *

 _::Washington DC, 2277 - Capital Wasteland::_

* * *

The sound of boots clacking against the floor echoed loudly throughout the mostly empty building. It was a happy tune that the heels made, and it just so happened that it was fifteen year old Deidara striding down the halls of the Arlington Library. He hummed along with his heels and looked all around him examining each shelf. The wooden structures were filled to the brim with books and magazines, some burnt and others in a good enough condition.

The blond stopped and plucked a book from the shelf. He flipped it open, not caring about which page it landed on, and skimmed through it. He stood there for a few seconds, before deciding that it wasn't that interesting. The book was put back in place.

Walking around aimlessly for a little while, Deidara found himself at the stairs leading to the second floor. As he climbed the steps, he heard the shots of gunfire being exchanged. This was not surprising to him, however. Originally, Deidara had not been going anywhere specific. He was sent out to look for supplies and was distracted when he noticed a rather suspicious looking man sneaking around. It was then that he decided to follow the guy. A lot of people died in the wasteland and that meant loot. Figuring that the guy was no more than another civilian trying to live, Deidara tracked him all the way to the Arlington Library.

Sneaking into the library was rather easy. Kill a few raiders here and there and slip in through a broken window. What he hadn't been expecting was the lone wanderer encountering the Brotherhood of Steel. At the sight of the shiny metal armor, the blond's blanched. The Brotherhood was everywhere! He didn't like them one bit and knew it'd be best if they avoided paths, so he ditched the stranger and stuck around to look for loot in the building.

So far, Deidara had found nothing but books. He should have known - it was a library after all. As he reached the second floor, he poked his head out and scanned the area. No one alive in sight. It was times like this where he wish he had a pipboy. Perhaps Sasori could make him one? Stepping out of the hidden corner, the blond tiptoed to the dead bodies sprawled across the floor. He frowned upon seeing most of them were already looted. Most of the bodies belonged to the raiders, but there was a few Brotherhood guys. The stranger wasn't among them. Did Deidara misjudge him?

Leaning over the railing overlook, he saw how wrecked the place was. Shelfs on fire, paper and book scrambled about, and blood everywhere. Pushing away from the rail, he glanced around at the upper area. He pulled up his bandana and travelled through the thick clouds of darkened dust. He eventually found a door that lead to another hallway. By the time he reached it, everything had gone silent. Walking through the hall, he passed a poster. Normally, he wouldn't care, but it was a poster he hadn't seen before. It was orange and had five kids on it. Although it was slowly decaying, he could make out the words "Freddy Fear's House of Scares" and "Costume Contest - October 23rd!" The date made him stop longer.

Unlike his older companions, he didn't know much about the wars of before. He was born in the late era of the second fallout and the entirety of his childhood was surviving and science. He never had time for history. Deidara didn't live for the past or future, he lived for today. Deciding to move on, Deidara entered a room. The destroyed room was filled with desk. From his position, he could even see a hole in the floor. The boy walked over to the hole, curious, and peeked down it. His blood ran cold at the sight below him. He could see his face turn pale in the silver reflection.

"Who the hell are you?" the filtered voice asked confused. "How'd you get in?"

Deidara jumped up and ran out of the room faster than lightning. He heard the voice yell for backup and several loud, heavy footsteps thud against the ground. The blond ran to the nearest closed door and as silently as he could, shut it and hid inside. Reaching into one of his various pouches, he pulled out a frag mine and set it in front of the door. That way, if someone did barge in, they'd receive a blast. Of course, it probably would do minimal damage, but it'd slow them down.

Turning around, Deidara got a good look at his surroundings. Luckily, he hadn't trapped himself in a closet. Instead he was just in another part of the library filled with books and toys? The boy didn't get much time to think on it. Sudden noise outside the door, pushed him to move further into the new territory. His heart raced at the sound of the door creaking open. The blond jumped over the nearest short shelf and ducked behind it. From his spot, he could see the door in perfect view, but the doorway also had a good view of him if he peeked. It wouldn't matter - the buckethead would step on the mine anyway.

A grin graced the blond's lips as the bomb ticked, signally the inevitable explosion to come. It was down to the last tick and Deidara could barely contain his excitement. Then nothing. The ticking stopped. Deidara's heart stopped. That wasn't right. Why did the bomb not go off? Footsteps. They weren't like that of the Brotherhood's either. They were lighter and normal sounding. From his bootstrap, he pulled out the stainless steel Sasori had given him. He held the knife tight as the footsteps approached him.

Deidara crouched into a lunging position, knife poised to attack. As soon as two feet emerged from behind the shelf, the blond jumped up and drove the blade forward. His eyes widened when the stranger he had followed, knocked his weapon away and pushed him back into the shelf. Then there was a burning in his right shoulder. He cried out as the pain finally registered, realizing he had been shot. He nearly freaked out when he saw that his arm was loosely hanging off his body. That was when he noticed the attacker was holding a combat shotgun. Before Deidara could retaliate or even run away, he paled more if possible.

"Hey, kid, you find that brat?" the filtered voice asked from the doorway.

The stranger towering over Deidara glanced up at the armor-clad man. He shook his head and straightened up.

"So, you just like wasting your ammo on the ground? This isn't the time for target practice, kid."

Deidara watched the man scowl, before it turned into a charming smile. "Just a radroach, sir. Caught me by surprise," he chuckled, seemingly embarrassed.

The knight scoffed under his breath, "Wastelanders. If you see the brat, catch him and bring him to us."

"Sure."

Deidara slowly reached for his knife, but flinched in pain. He had to bite his lip to avoid making noise. However, this didn't effectively work. The other male still noticed his efforts. Deidara inhaled sharply, closed his eyes, and braced himself for whatever was to come - his death most likely. Death never came though. Instead he heard a small chuckle, which made his eyes open. In front of him was the combat knife handle. The blond hesitantly reached out for it, confused and wary. With the blade back in his hand, he kept it pointed at the stranger and stumbled to his feet, using his back against the shelf. "What are you waiting for, yeah?" He took a few steps and suddenly felt dizzy, causing him to trip over some garbage. He held his arm out, trying to catch himself, but only managed to knock down a shelf of books.

The stranger slung his weapon over his back and crouched down. He took off his backpack and started digging through it. "Here, hold this to your arm. You'll bleed out otherwise." He tossed some gauze at the blond, who nearly didn't catch it.

"I… don't understand?"

The man ignored him and got up.

Deidara lost view of him for a few seconds and was surprised when he heard the click of the door close. Did the guy just up and leave without his stuff. The blond frowned and scooted closer to the backpack. He set the knife beside him and held the gauze pad to his arm tightly. His neck craned as he tried to peer into the bag. Inside was a bunch of ammo, chems, food, and a variety of weapons. Deidara was more impressed with how the guy managed to fit everything in the bag.

"I didn't mean to injure you," the stranger said appearing suddenly.

Deidara dropped the gauze and snatched his knife. He snarled and pointed it at the dirty blond, "What do you want from me?"

The guy held his hands up and sat down across from him. "I want to help you out. I honestly didn't mean to shoot. I really didn't expect you to come at me the way you did."

"Yeah, right," the blond growled. His body shivered as a nauseous wave of pain hit him. He cursed and dropped the knife, now clutching his bloody arm. He glared at the man and bit his lip.

The man raised his eyebrow and held up a stimpak.

Deidara huffed and leaned against the bookshelf in defeat. He had been gone for a while and if he tried to travel home in his condition it'd take even longer. Already being injured would piss Sasori off, but combining that with being late would surely cause him to get locked outside for the night. "Fine, but try anything and I will kill you, yeah."

The stranger smiled a kind smile and started pulling out various medical items to help patch the blond up. As he did his best to fix the blond up, Deidara got a good look at the male. He really wasn't that much older than the blond himself. He assumed that the dirty blond was around Sasori's age or maybe even younger like him. The blond flinched away as the stranger poured water over his open wound. "Fuck!"

"Sorry," the guy muttered.

Deidara glared and bit his lip. He tried to relax as his arm was cleaned and wrapped without any numbing agent. When the guy wrapped his arm, Deidara noticed the big clunky piece of plastic and metal on his arm. A pipboy. Oddly enough, it was on his left arm instead of right. Deidara wondered why that was, but didn't question the man. The blond could help but huff in annoyance, so maybe the stranger really was just trying to help him. Vault dwellers really didn't know how the wastelands worked. Already getting bored with the procedure, the blond picked up a nearby book.

The blond flipped through the colorful book idly. He stopped at a random page and looked over it. There was a tree with lights and colorful boxes underneath it. There was a stone place holding fire and above it was giant colorful socks? This picture book was odd. On the other side was a picture of an overweight man dressed in red and white. He carried a large, lump burlap sack on his back. Intrigued with the pictures, Deidara continued to look through the book. By the time he reached the end, the stranger had finished patching him up.

"Finished."

Deidara glanced up and snapped the book close. "Uh, thanks, yeah," the blond muttered.

The stranger nodded and stood up, gathering his things. "I suggest finding a clinic. They'd probably be able to fix it further. There's a town not too far from here-"

Deidara shook his head, quickly hiding the book behind his back. "It's fine. I'll be fine. I know a guy," he grinned.

"Alright," the dirty blond smiled. "I suggest you get out of here though. There's another entry over there that leads out."

The blond nodded and stood up, still a little shaken. "Yeah, uh, thanks again." Deidara took the route pointed out by the other male. True to his word, the other exit lead completely around the Brotherhood and right out the front door.

By the time Deidara made it through the DC Wasteland and back to their temporary home it was dark outside. He knew he was finally home when a giant golden woman statue came into view. It was outside this that the blond pulled out a rather ghoulish mask. For some reason or another, the feral ghouls that stalked the area would ignore them if they didn't look like humans. Normally, he'd be able to climb the shortcut near the statue, but with his arm out of commission he had to take the long route. He followed the long winding road up and up until he saw the only glowing building within radius up ahead.

When he finally reached the door, Deidara tried to sneak in. He managed to enter the home quietly, but knew he was in trouble when a large shadow towered over him. The blond recoiled and slowly turned around with a weak smile. He was face to face with quite a sight - a big blue brute.

The giant monster opened its mouth revealing large, sharp teeth. Then it let out a deep chuckled and stated, "Sasori is pissed."

Deidara sighed and walked around the big creature - a nightkin as he was properly called - and started shedding his outer clothes onto the coat hanger nearby. "I figured as much. He's going to blow up once he sees my arm."

"I was just about to ask about that," the nightkin stated. "He's down in his room."

The blond nodded and took a right into the dining room. He could already here the redhead grinding away at the work table from below. Maneuvering around the sizable table, he quietly stepped down into the entry of the basement. Reaching the end, he peeked around teh corner cautiously. Instead of an irate redhead, he faced a white, scary-faced mannequin which sent him flying back into the wall behind him. "Shit!"

At the swear, Sasori turned around. He stopped momentarily and glared at the blond. "Deidara," he nearly growled.

Deidara huffed and slowly approached the redhead, dropping his bag along the way. "I know I'm late," the blond muttered, "but I totally have a good reason for it, yeah!" The blond took a seat in the chair next to the workstation and held his hand in his laps. "I found supplies too, but more importantly I-."

Sasori rolled his eyes and continued to modify his shotgun. "I told you to be back before it got dark. It doesn't take that long to gather supplies, brat." He finally set the gun down and swiveled in his chair to give the blond a stern look. "You should've-" the redhead cut himself off as caught sight of the blond's bandaged shoulder. "What happened?"

The blond slid his hand up to his shoulder and gave a small smile. "I kinda got into some trouble. Nothing too serious. Just a shotgun wound is all, yeah," the blond shrugged.

Sasori immediately stood up and grabbed the blond by his good arm. "Bed, now."

Deidara grinned and bit his lip playfully, "At least pour me a drink and sit me down for some dinner first."

The redhead rolled his eyes and pushed the boy to the bed. "Quit that nonsense you call flirting and sit down so I can exam you."

The blond sighed and sat down on the bed, shoulder facing the redheaded doctor. "You didn't let me finish. I followed this guy into this library and- Ow! Hey, careful with the arm, yeah." The blond jerked in the redhead's touch as the male tried to undo his bandage. "If you want to get rough later we can, but fix me up first."

Sasori gave him a cross look, "We will not be getting _rough_ at all. Now tell me how this exactly happened." He finished removing the bandage and scowled at the sight of shredded arm

Deidara sighed in exasperation, "I was trying to! You keep interrupting me!" The blond huffed out in annoyance and puffed up his cheeks.

The redhead pulled out a medkit and sighed heavily, "Carry on then,"

"Like I said, I saw this guy and I followed him into the library not too far from here. The library was filled with raiders and Brotherhood bucketheads. I was just gonna see if there was any supplies inside really, yeah. However," the blond drawled out, "they kinda spotted me. I ran away though! It wasn't like I didn't try. I just happened to get trapped in another wing of the library. I guess the guy followed me in return, yeah. I tried to stab him, but he shot me first."

Sasori pursed his lips and continued to dab the wound with an alcohol soaked rag. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go by yourself. Although, you did a fairly good job on temporarily fixing it up."

Deidara chuckled, "Oh, yeah. I didn't do that. The guy who shot me did."

The redhead looked at him in astonishment.

"I know! I was uncertain myself, but he honestly didn't mean to shoot me. He was gentle with my wound, unlike a certain someone," Deidara stuck his tongue out. "It's not often you find generous wastelanders, but I think he was just clueless, yeah. He came from a vault."

Sasori clicked his tongue, "I am gentle, you're just a baby. And how do you even know he came from a vault. Just because he was nice?"

Deidara rolled his eyes, "He had a pipboy. Like you. Yanno, it's funny. Maybe he was a doctor too, or like a doctor in training. Although, he was a lot nicer than you when it came to helping me and - Ow! Again!"

The redhead scowled at the blond. "I am nice to you, you brat. Be grateful that I even help you at all. Besides, whoever the guy was obviously wasn't that knowledgeable. All he did was clean it and patch it up. Basic stuff a kid could do."

The blond smirked, "Sounds like a certain someone is jealous, yeah. Do you not like the idea of someone else taking care of me?"

"Untrue," Sasori grumbled.

Deidara chuckled and ruffled the redhead's hair with his good hand. "Don't worry, Sasori, you're the only one I'd ever let treat me." His hand was smacked away and the blond gave a humorous snort at the action.

"What supplies did you gather?" The redhead said suddenly, switching the subject.

"Mostly food and ammo, but - Oh, yeah!" the blond exclaimed. He sprung up from the bed, ignoring Sasori's demands to stay seated. "Look at this!" Deidara dug through his bag and pulled out a small square. He bounced back to the bed and practically slammed the object into the redhead's face.

Sasori growled in annoyance and snatched the object away. The childish grin the blond sent him, made the redhead sigh and glance over the square. He expected something spectacular, but was unfortunately let down. "A children's book?"

Deidara blinked, "It's a kid's book?"

"Yes," the redhead drawled.

The blond huffed and swiped the book away, "Whatever, just look here." The book was propped open and flipped through the pages. "Right here!" he stopped at the color page he had discovered at the library. "Look, look, look!"

Sasori popped a hand over the blond's mouth. "Calm down, brat." He picked up the book again. "I see it and I don't understand what your problem is."

Deidara started talking through the hand. Eventually Sasori removed his hand and allowed the blond to speak. "I wanted to ask you about it, yeah. Have you seen anything like this before? Lights on a tree? Supermutant socks over a fire? And some old guy in red? You're telling me kids read this?"

The redhead stared at the blond for a few minutes. It wasn't until Deidara waved a hand in his face asking if he was alright that he responded to the blond. "You've never heard of Christmas?" he asked, smacking the hand away.

"Christmas? What's that? Some kind of new weapon?"

"You're kidding, right?"

Deidara responded with a blank stare.

Sasori raised an eyebrow, "Of course you're not. I know you're younger than me, but not by that much. Look, it's a holiday celebrated every year on the 25th of December." The redhead pointed to the obese old man in red. "This guy is called Santa. Adults make up stories to children about how he brings presents to put under the Christmas tree. However, only good little brats get presents and the bad get a lump of coal. And those supermutants socks? Those are stockings. People put small goodies and gifts in them. They're like extra presents." The redhead paused in thought before continuing, "We celebrated Christmas back in the vault. It's been a while, but I remember it being rather enjoyable. The cafeteria held a feast and everyone in the entire vault sat down and ate together. Some families exchanged gifts, some sat in the recreation room playing games, and some watched movies in the classrooms. My family often spent it decorating the tree-" the redhead stopped as he caught sight of the blond's wide eyes. "What?"

"That sounds… awesome!" Deidara exclaimed. "Can we do Christmas!?"

The redhead blinked in surprise, "What. No, it's completely unnecessary."

Deidara frowned, "But…" The blond looked back at the book and sadly gazed over it. "I've never celebrated it before. Besides, when will we ever find a house like this again? Please, Sasori!"

Sasori grumbled and crossed his arms. "No. There's no reason to. We have no decorations, no presents, no feast, no holiday cheer… we have nothing. Therefore, we do nothing."

The blond scowled and stood up abruptly. Without saying anything he stomped away from the redhead and all the way up the stairs.

"Deidara, you brat, get back down here! I still need to fix you arm!" Sasori yelled up to the blond. He waited for a few seconds and soon there was the sound of angry footsteps that made him smirk in triumph. "Sit down," he commanded.

The blond huffed and begrudgingly turned so that the redhead could fix his arm. "I'm still pissed, yeah."

"Be mad all you want, brat. Won't change a thing," Sasori sighed. "Tomorrow, I'll be going out for supplies. You and Kisame will be staying here. You are not to leave what-so-ever, understood?"

"Hmph."

Sasori rolled his eyes, "You'll thank me later, brat. This is for your own good. Trust me."

* * *

The next day rolled around and Deidara was still fired up about Sasori denying him and keeping him locked up. Not to mention, the redhead didn't even trust him enough to leave him alone. He had to be babysitted by the nightkin just to ensure that he didn't sneak out. Which, honestly, was a good idea, because had Kisame not been there, Deidara would have already ran out.

"Deidara, you can quit moping," the nightkin sighed as he glanced over at the blond on the other sofa.

The blond heaved another sigh and continued slumping. "I'm fucking bored, yeah."

Kisame offered the male a sympathetic smile. "It's not that bad. Sasori is just looking out for you."

"If he really cared, then he'd let me have my way," Deidara muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, Kisame had quite sharp hearing and chortled at the comment. "I sometimes forget that you're still a kid, Dei. Sasori does care about you. He's just practical."

Deidara rolled his eyes, "I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen!"

"And I'm a hundred and forty-three, so to me, you're still a kid," Kisame retaliated.

The blond grumbled, "Whatever. Can we at least find something to do? I can't even go out and blow shit up."

Kisame scratched his bald head, "Well, uhm, maybe we can play a board game?"

Deidara shook his head, "We don't have any. I checked." Suddenly, he sat up straight and smiled over at the blue skinned male. "But! You know what you could do? I saw some board games at the Arlington Library, yeah! It's not too far from the graveyard. You just have to take the metro."

Kisame sighed, "You know you can't go out-"

"Not me! You!"

The nightkin frowned, "Deidara-"

Deidara interrupted him once more, "I swear I won't leave! Please! Actually, I have a list of stuff I need, yeah. It's not a whole bunch. I wanted to start a new project while we were here, yeah." The blond hopped off the couch and ran upstairs to fetch his notebook. A plan had started to form in his head. If he got Kisame involved, Sasori wouldn't be too mad. He snatched a pencil from his desk and began to scribble words across the paper in the fashion of a list. Deidara smirked at the idea. He would send Kisame out to get supplies for the 25th, while he would prepare the setup and building himself. Running down the stairs, he practically jumped onto the nightkin and thrust the note in his face. "Here!"

Kisame took the note gently and read over it. "This is quite the list, Dei. Even if I do leave to go pick up this stuff, it'd take me at least a day or two to collect everything. Sasori wouldn't be happy with me if he came home to you alone."

"Then can you get some of it? I don't need all of it right now anyways. Just… please?" the blond mustered up the best puppy dog eyes he could give. The look itself made the nightkin turn a shade of purple - Deidara nearly snickered.

The nightkin gave the blond a look and sighed before standing. "Alright. I'll get you some of the stuff, but I swear I will give Sasori another reason to patch you up again if you leave this house."

Deidara gave a small worried smile. He almost forgot how scary Kisame could be. Holding his hands behind his back, he looked the male straight in the eye, "I swear, yeah." He followed Kisame to the door and waved him goodbye despite the suspicious look he got. As soon as the nightkin was out of sight, Deidara uncrossed his fingers. Smirking a devilish smile, Deidara ran upstairs to get his empty bag. While Kisame was retrieving some of the items on his list, he'd be going out to find gifts for the two males. He had a week until the holiday and Christmas _would_ happen whether Sasori liked it or not.

Over the course of the next few days, Deidara had gotten much accomplished. Fortunately, Sasori had not caught on and Kisame had not said anything to the redhead about his errands. Deidara often worked through the nights, so he slept a lot during the days - this was a great conving point for Kisame to continue hunting for his items. What the blond spent doing during his nights was sewing stockings and cute Santa hats from scratch. Kisame had also been able to retrieve a tree small enough for him to hide in his closet, so Deidara made it his personal goal to swipe random items to tie together with string to make ornaments. Sadly, he wouldn't be able to decorate with Sasori or Kisame, but the surprise would be worth it. The building and sewing wasn't that hard to do either - if anything it was fun. Sure, some of it came out a little wonky looking and he may or may not have sewed his finger to the cloth on multiple occasion, but it was fun nonetheless! Soon enough, he mostly had all of his Christmas decorations.

As for presents, Deidara had managed to find something for Kisame. From the time Deidara had spent with Kisame, he had learned that the male missed his hair - something he loss from the transformation from human to nightkin. It took Deidara nearly the whole week just to find the right piece for him, but eventually he found the perfect thing - a wig. It was blue spiky wig and Deidara was positive that it fit him perfectly. He could've gotten him a more natural looking wig, but it didn't feel right. It somehow felt like he was forcing normality onto the nightkin, so he spent forever looking for something to match the male's personality and appearance. Despite how proud he was of the gift, it left him little time to find something for Sasori. On top of that, he really didn't even know what to get the redhead. He was still trying to figure it out one night when he was hit with a blessing quite literally. There was a big flash of light and suddenly he was bonked right over the head hard enough it sent him into a few seconds nap. When he came to, he found a bright blue glowing bottle next to him. He wasn't sure what it was or where it even came from, but he knew that Sasori would get a kick out of it.

Finally his week came to an end. The morning of the twenty-fifth, Deidara was up and ready. His arm still wasn't fully recovered, but Sasori had gave him leeway and was allowed to help out with looting. The blond took this advantage to usher the other's out of the house. He had until afternoon to complete cooking and setting up. One of the major concerns over the week had been the food. Deidara wanted to have a nice little dinner, but knew Sasori would throw a fit if he wasted all of their supply then and there. This meant that Deidara had to stock up all week. Hiding food in his closet - along with the rest of the Christmas stuff - was a temptation in itself. Working all night usually made him hungry and with the convenient food nearby, he had to stop himself many a time to not eat it. It had all paid off, however, as he now had food for a feast.

Decorating had been the easy part, but the cooking not so much. The blond never cooked before he met Sasori, and he still didn't participate in the chore after. Cursing to himself as he smelt smoke, Deidara wished he had paid more attention to the redhead and nightkin when they cooked. Pulling out the Mirelurk cake from the over, Deidara frowned. It was a little burnt around the edges, but it'd still be alright… he hoped. By the time evening came around, Deidara had finally finished cooking the meal and decorating. The house felt warm and snug and looked positively prepared for Christmas. Just as he was setting the table, he heard the door open and two sets of feet come barging in. He nearly dropped the plates hard on the table to go fetch his camera - an item from his list. Deidara had to capture the moment of surprise.

Surprise was the correct word. Sasori's countenance had changed from tired and annoyed to shock. The house was not how he left it at all. Now it was decorated in strung up lights and pictures of crudely drawn Santas and candy canes. Beside the redhead, he could hear Kisame laughing in surprise. Then there was a flash of light followed by a click. This caught his attention. "Deidara, what the hell?"

"Merry Christmas, yeah!" the blond grinned widely. He gripped the camera in one hand and with the other motioned for the two to follow him. "I made dinner," he stated happily.

Sasori followed beside Kisame a little confused and still surprised. Upon seeing the table, his eyebrows shot up once more. They lowered into scowl shortly after and before he could even open his mouth, Deidara spoke up.

"I've been stockpiling the whole week, so don't worry. This isn't any of our supply food."

The redhead pursed his lips and sat down at the long table. He noticed that Deidara decided to sit further away from him. He probably figured that the redhead would be mad at him, which Sasori tried to be, but couldn't find it in him to be so.

"So, this is what you wanted with all that stuff, huh?" Kisame asked, not bothering to hide their secret anymore.

Deidara nodded, "Yup! You guys like it? I stayed up late making most of it," he laughed. "How's the food? Any good?"

As Deidara and Kisame conversed, Sasori couldn't find himself to speak up. He had forgotten about Christmas entirely and figured Deidara did too. How wrong he was. The brat went behind his back, even got Kisame in on it, and still made it happen. The redhead wasn't sure if he should applaud him or punish him for the act.

"Sasori? You haven't said anything. You're not too mad, yeah?" the blond asked, his smile slowly decreasing.

The redhead looked up from his plate to the blond. The look of potential hurt flashed in his eyes and Sasori couldn't help but feel sorta guilty. "No, I'm not mad," he admitted softly. "Just surprised is all…"

Deidara's smile grew once more and Sasori didn't feel like a complete ass for once. "Then eat and drink up, yeah! I made Mirelurk cake too!" He pointed to the pan near the center. "I kinda, _maybe_ , burnt the edges, but it's not bad! I swear!"

The rest of dinner went jovial. Sasori probably had the most alcohol to drink out of the three, but it wasn't enough that he was incapacitated. If anything, he was just a wee tipsy - tipsy enough to be cheery and laugh with the other two. When it came to presents, Sasori had stopped his fits of giggles long enough to receive his gift. Before opening his, he watched Kisame tear his open. Deidara was positioned around the male, constantly snapping photos of the memory. He looked down at his own painted newspaper box and fingered the folds. With careful and precise movements, he neatly removed the wrapping. Opening his gift, he was surprised by the bright glow. The redhead had never encountered such a serum before.

"I really didn't know what to get you," the blond admitted. "I figured you might like that though, yeah. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure you'd like to study it."

Sasori stared blankly at the blond smiling face. "Thanks," he muttered. "I appreciate it, brat." It was slowly dawning on him that the whole Christmas idea wasn't a bad one. At the end of it all, he started feeling guilty again. As he sat and watched the nightkin and blond from the couch, the redhead tried to think of a way to repay the blond for his festive idea. With the help of another scotch, Sasori did think of something. It wasn't a whole lot, but it would mean a lot coming from him.

After the party, when everyone had separated ways to go to bed, Sasori snuck back upstairs from the basement. He crept across the wooden floors quietly and was surprised to see the blond's light peek from beneath the door. His knuckles rapped against the wood gently. The sound of a bed creaking could be heard from the other side and soon the door was cracked open. A blue orb peered up at him before inviting him in.

"Sasori?"

The redhead stepped in and shut the door behind him. "We need to talk about today," he said sternly.

Deidara frowned and looked to the ground in shame. He moved the pictures, that he had taken earlier, to his dresser and allowed the redhead to sit down. "I know I didn't listen to you and you have every right to be mad, but… I really wanted to do this. It was really fun, yeah. I wish I could have done it with you guys, but-"

"I'm not mad," Sasori admitted once again.

The blond looked up at his older companion with a confused expression.

Sasori sighed, "I wanted to say thanks again and that I was… wrong." He nearly choked on the word. It felt disgusting in his mouth - like uncooked molerat meat. "I shouldn't have told you no or went off on you the way I did. It was a good idea and even though you disobeyed me… I can't be mad. You pulled it off exceptionally well and took me by surprise. You're really showing me that you can take care of yourself and that I shouldn't… worry so much."

Deidara couldn't help but grin, "So, you do care."

Sasori glared lightly, "I'd rather not talk about it. Anyways, that's all I have to say on the subject. Well, that and leave with telling me again and I will chain you to the bed."

"Kinky," the blond laughed.

The redhead rolled his eyes and thumped the blond on the head. "Don't talk like that." He sighed and stood up, "That's it really, so I'll be going to bed. Which, I suggest you do too. We have a big day tomorrow."

Deidara rubbed his head and nodded, "Sure thing, yeah." The blond followed the redhead to the door to switch off the lights, but didn't make it past opening the door for the other. He blinked up at the redhead, "Sasori?" The older male had stopped in his doorway.

Sasori glanced out the door and then back at the blond. He sighed once more and rubbed the back of his neck. Deciding it was now or never, the redhead leaned into the younger boy's personal space and pressed his lips against the once cold cheek. "Merry Christmas, brat," he muttered.

The blond couldn't contain the sheer joy he felt from the small action. "Only on the cheek?" he asked playfully.

"I'm not kissing a minor."

"But you just-"

Sasori glared, "It was merely platonic."

Deidara chuckled, "Then how about _platonic_ kiss on the lips, yeah?"

"Don't push it, brat."

The blond shrugged and laughed, "A guy can try." He reached out for the redhead and pulled him into a quick embrace. "Thank you, Sasori."

The redhead gently pushed away the blond and pointed to the bed. "Sleep. We have to get up early."

Deidara nodded and switched off his lights. "Night," he whispered as Sasori left. Though the redhead said nothing back, the younger male didn't feel deterred. He was used to the redhead's wishy-washy feelings anyways. Slipping under the covers in his bed, The blond brought a hand to his cheek. The flesh was still burning hot. Deidara held his hand to his face, smiling ecstatically, for the rest of the night as if it would trap the kiss there forevermore. He really hoped it would.


End file.
